Examples of "overcoming the wind" to rise up

Recalling the memory of winning the 21st SEA Games (2001) with the Vietnamese women's team, veteran coach Steve Darby still cannot forget the image of a small female midfielder, but full of energy and charisma, ready to "fight" opponents a head taller than her. That was midfielder Bui Thi Hien Luong, the core of the journey to win the first SEA Games gold medal in the history of Vietnamese women's football.

Bui Thi Hien Luong's path to football was not smooth. Starting from the days of "fighting" on the concrete field with the boys, playing football with a fighting spirit, as she admitted, "I was always stubborn, not wanting to lose to anyone". Until she auditioned for the Hoa Hoc Tro Newspaper's youth team, then followed the professional path with senior athletes at Quan Ngua Sports Center (Hanoi), Bui Thi Hien Luong always kept in mind: if you do something, you must do it with all your might, because what you do, whether it is your profession or not, reflects a part of your character and personality.

- Ảnh 2. — Former captain Bui Thi Hien Luong (red shirt, receiving flowers) of the Vietnamese women's team has now become the person in charge of football at the Vietnam Sports Administration, with a doctorate degree.

With the number 9 shirt, and the full trust that coach Darby had in her (Mr. Darby wanted the Vietnamese women's team to play like the Italian club AS Roma), Bui Thi Hien Luong reached the peak of her career with the Southeast Asian championship. Her intelligent playing style, based on judgment, observation and vision, helped Hien Luong overcome her physical weakness to shine brightly.

It was the years of competition that forged Bui Thi Hien Luong's willpower, discipline, and different thinking. When she was still playing, the small woman had already thought: she could not only depend on the round ball, but had to prepare for the future after retirement.

With the 21st SEA Games gold medal, Bui Thi Hien Luong was admitted directly to Bac Ninh University of Sports (or as the profession calls it Tu Son Sports School). The former athlete chose to study while still competing. "I invested my own money in my studies. Every time I finished training at 5 pm, I asked Mr. Darby to let me shower early, prepare my clothes, and then travel 40 km from the Hanoi National Sports Training Center to Bac Ninh University of Sports to attend evening classes (starting at 7 pm), then return home at night.

For many years, Hien Luong has been competing and studying at the same time. For the captain of the Vietnamese women's team, studying costs money (especially when having to pay for missed exams) as well as time and effort, but it is the way for athletes to build a solid foundation, preparing for a future where they are no longer tied to sports.

"I still remember when I wrote my graduation yearbook at Bac Ninh University of Sports and Physical Education, I wrote down my workplace as "Sports and Physical Education Committee". People looked at me as if... I had some problem, wondering why I was dreaming of such a lofty place. I just thought simply, I just keep writing, I keep having aspirations, who knows, maybe later when I work there, my classmates will know and come visit", former striker Bui Thi Hien Luong recounted.

- Ảnh 3. — Former captain Bui Thi Hien Luong of the Vietnamese women's team has now become the person in charge of football at the Vietnam Sports Administration, with a doctorate degree.

The sweet fruit came when the former midfielder of the women's team worked for 1 year at the National Sports Training Center in Hanoi, then passed the exam to become a specialist of the Sports Committee (now the Vietnam Sports Department). Mrs. Bui Thi Hien Luong's persistent efforts in the sports industry with various roles bore fruit when Coach Darby's former student got a doctorate and became the person in charge of football at the Vietnam Sports Department. A true "female general" of football!

Vietnamese sports are not lacking in successful examples. Among the sports leaders, Mr. Nguyen Nam Nhan, who was a high jump record holder, high jump and triple jump coach, is now Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City. Former Director of the Vietnam Sports Department, Dang Ha Viet, was an athlete and coach of the Ho Chi Minh City basketball team.

- Ảnh 5. — Mr. Nguyen Nam Nhan, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City, used to be a high jump athlete.

In professional work, many famous athletes, after retiring, have become good coaches, nurturing many generations of talents, such as Coach Nguyen Thi Nhung (shooting), Coach Truong Minh Sang (gymnastics), Coach Nguyen Thu Ha (artistic gymnastics)...

The common point of successful people is that they all have a high spirit of self-study. Dr. Bui Thi Hien Luong affirms that learning must come from interest: "I like to study, because I know that through studying, I will always be open, updated, and 'explore' many things." Many years of competition experience help athletes themselves understand the gears of the country's sports, understand the psychology of athletes to later become talented managers and coaches, or take advantage of their reputation and relationships while competing to facilitate their career.

For athletes, competition and rivalry do not only take place on the field, but also in life after retirement. One must always maintain the spirit of training and self-improvement to be able to compete with other "opponents" to establish one's position, no matter what job one does.

Coach Truong Minh Sang has trained many talented athletes for Vietnamese gymnastics. He started out as a high-class athlete and then moved to coaching.

PHOTO: KHÁNH LINH

However, athletes cannot "go it alone" on the path of building a career, but need a helping hand. There have been successful examples, but they are only a few, not sketching the overall picture of the uncertain future of sports people when they retire.

An anonymous athlete confided that sometimes he cannot avoid feeling uncertain when thinking about his future after retirement, because he understands that not everyone has a place or enough capacity and qualifications to pursue a career in sports management or coaching. The thought of having to start everything from scratch makes many people uneasy.

Another athlete who has participated in the world tournament and is at the peak of his career confided that although he has a good brand and earns a stable income, he cannot be sure of the future in many years to come, when the effect of success passes and fans may no longer remember him. That is also the common mentality of many people, famous or not, that perhaps with today's sports career, "wherever the rain comes, it is cool to the face".

- Ảnh 10. — 'Steel Rose' of Vietnamese shooting - Coach Nguyen Thi Nhung hopes that career guidance for athletes will be taken care of more carefully.

Coach Nguyen Thi Nhung, who has trained many talented shooters for the Vietnamese shooting team, believes that despite the efforts of the sports industry, there are still shortcomings in career guidance for athletes.

"The sports industry needs to link career guidance with universities, colleges, academies, and vocational schools so that athletes can test their abilities, develop their abilities, and find new paths. In addition, it is also necessary to create maximum conditions for athletes to get degrees at sports schools. Talented athletes also need special policies and incentives, and conditions to become coaches. Currently, I see that the sports industry does not have centers to train job skills for athletes. It is necessary to give them 'fishing rods', that is, training in soft skills and career guidance, not just financial support. Therefore, many families still hesitate to let their children pursue a career in sports," former coach Nguyen Thi Nhung analyzed.

- Ảnh 11. — Successful teacher of Vietnamese shooting - Coach Nguyen Thi Nhung hopes that career guidance for athletes will be taken care of more carefully.

The guiding role of coaches is also very important. Coach Truong Minh Sang of the men's gymnastics team affirmed: "Currently, the state and the sports industry have created more conditions for athletes to study. Many schools outside the sports sector such as the University of Economics - VNU Hanoi, Hoa Sen University (HCMC) have expanded direct admission of excellent athletes, helping them have the opportunity to access new fields of study, overcoming the 'old path' that sports people must continue to study sports (because not everyone can pursue a coaching career after retiring). However, besides that, coaches, who are the people closest to athletes, need to listen to their thoughts, guide them, create conditions for athletes to learn new things, and balance between studying and school." (continued...)